Ignorance
by Bluezip
Summary: "We've all heard about people that have it all, love, glory, and admiration. So what happens if life destroys the things it gave to them? Completely ignorant to hardships in life, they would 'all fall down' as some people put it." Sweetpaw has everything she wants, a father that's a leader, and toms granting every wish...But no one's life stays perfect forever. Rated T to be safe.
1. Perfect

**The chapters in this story are meant to be short, so please don't complain about it. **  
**Sweetpaw is a Mary Sue in the first chapter, that is intended, and she will get MUCH better as the story goes on.**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own warriors, Erin Hunter does.**  
**On with the story!**

Sweetpaw walked glamorously through the camp, her head held high. She felt several toms' eyes on her, and she-cats envying her. She _was_ perfect, after all. She blinked, and twirled around gracefully.

"Oh my, I seem to need someone to go hunting with me! Will anyone come?" she asked with well-played tenderness. Instantly, many voices could be heard volunteering to come with. She cast a smug smile, and pretended to be overwhelmed.

"Oh my, I can not choose! I am so sorry, but I must go on my own," she said, before turning tail on them and walking out of camp. She giggled to herself.

"Too easy!" Sweetpaw declared, and rolled her eyes. She was a special cat, as she was the kit of a leader and a medicine cat. Her father was the leader, and she was his pride and joy. Her pelt was beautifully colored, possessing bright white fur. One of her eyes was blue, and the other was green. She was better that every other apprentice at everything, and they all knew it. "All the others are idiots" she thought to herself with disgust, "They can't even catch a rabbit on their first day!" She spotted a mouse, and got into her perfect hunting crouch. She pounced at the mouse killing it in one swift blow. The story was that she didn't even need a mentor, because when she became an apprentice she already was better than everyone else. "You're the best cat in all the clans" she remembered Flintstar declaring. Her mother Dapplepool was proud of her too, but showed a bit of coldness to her once and a while. It was somewhat annoying, as everyone else loved her. She took a bite into the mouse, disregarding the warrior code. Sweetpaw liked fresh prey, not prey that had sat on the pile for who knows how long. She devoured the prey hungrily, then buried the bones. She could catch more anyway.

She came back to camp with three rabbits, two finches, and a mouse. The other apprentices offered to carry it for her, and she didn't even have to lift a claw. She pranced back to her den and drifted into a deep sleep. Yes, her life was perfect.


	2. Claws and Shrieks

She awoke to a surprise, she couldn't move. Sweetpaw continued to struggle and thrash, and at last opened her eyes. She was in the forest, but her paws were tied together with something that looked like reed. She started to nibble on the reed, but was punished with a swat on her head. Sweetpaw was panicking now, but a soft voice reached her.

"Shh, don't move, and don't even touch the cord. They'll punish you if you do." The voice came from a she-cat that was also bound to a stick halfway in the ground. Sweetpaw summoned the sense to talk quietly.

"Who are you, and where am I?" she asked.

"My name was Fox, but here they'll most likely give me a new name. You have been captured by a group of nomadic kitnappers called the Ices." Fox replied. Sweetpaw twisted to see the cat, and was granted success. Fox was a white cat with reddish stripes that faded to dots near her belly. She also had amber eyes glazed with fear. Sweetpaw could see other tied up cats in the clearing, though not anyone she recognized. She spotted a large, well-groomed white cat that was sitting neatly under a bramble bush. He looked almost silver in the moonlight, and they locked eyes for a moment. "Did she like this cat?" she asked herself. Although the fantasy that this cat was here to save her dwindled away very quickly. He walked over to Sweetpaw and smirked.

"My name is Goose," he said. His voice didn't match his appearance, as it was rough and cruel. "You have been captured by the Ices, and you belong to us now." He flipped her onto her belly and dug his claws into her back. Sweetpaw yowled in pain.

"Please! Please, please, please! Don't hurt me!" She screamed as loud as she could. A few other cats that sat under the bramble bush laughed at her, and some even chanted Goose's name. When the pain subsided, she lay panting in the dirt. She fell into an unsteady sleep, her dreams full of claws and shrieks.


	3. Very Evil Indeed

Sweetpaw was awakened at dawn by a poke in the side.

"Go away mother, I don't want to hear about herbs now…" She whispered drowsily.

"Are you mad?" Fox whispered back to her, "You need to wake up now. Goose is coming to untie us and bring us to "The cave" whatever that is." Sweetpaw instantly snapped awake, and sat up the best she could. Her paws were still bound though, preventing her from any further movement. Goose walked past each cat in the line and untied their paws. After his paws were free, a young tom bolted across the clearing. Night sprang from a tall tree and pinned him to the ground, clawing at his belly. The rest of the cats that were untied, Fox and Sweetpaw included, remained as still as their breathing would allow. A gold she-cat padded over to the cats in the same way Goose did, but she tied the reed to the paw of the cat in front of them, making a long chain of cats. Sweetpaw pulled her paw back, and the she-cat rolled her eyes. She bent her head and bit Sweetpaw in the shoulder, and tied the reed around her front paw.

"My name is Beach," she declared proudly, "Don't forget it." Sweetpaw wimprered helplessly. After the remaining cats were connected to the chain, she heard Goose's voice once again.

"March, have all of these cats back to the cave by mid day. Night and Beach will come with you." He said to a group of surrounding cats.

"Alright!" a voice, that was probably March's, roared above the silence, "We're taking you lot over to The Cave, a place where you'll spend your whole life after this. Get moving!" Most of the cats in the line were standing already, but some of the more elderly cats were having trouble getting up. Fox moved to help an old, silver tom that was trying despretly to stand, but Beach got in her way.

"I'll help him," she said, and for a moment Sweetpaw thought she meant it. She was wrong. Beach slammed into the old cat, knocking the breath out of him.

"Get up you fleabag!" Beach yowled, clawing his ears repeatedly. Sweetpaw wasn't sure how, but he finaly got up onto shaking paws. Beach smirked.

"There," she said, "Wasn't that easier?" The old tom nodded furiosly, his tail between his legs. "This is an evil place" she thought, "Very evil indeed".


	4. This is Your Future

**DahliaStarr: Yep, she really is a Mary Sue in the first chapter. That was my intention. I am aware of most of the problems you mentioned, and the ones I wasn't aware of I will try to fix.**

**Just for the record, Sweetpaw will be fixed up later in the story. I hope you didn't stop reading because of the first chapter.**

Sweetpaw walked beside Fox in silence. Goose had gone to catch other cats with a few other cats in his group, while Beach seemed to have taken hatred to her. Fox spoke up in a quiet whisper,

"Where did you live?" she asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"Well I lived in a place called Windclan," she began, "Everyone loved me!" She stated proudly. Fox cocked her head to the side.

"Why?" She asked. The question was so simple, but Sweetpaw didn't know how to answer it.

"Because…I was pretty I guess…" She felt defeated that she didn't have an actual reason for it.

"Good looking," Fox repeated, "Will that ever get you anywhere? In the long run?" Sweetpaw sighed.

"No," She said at last, "Not really." Night padded up beside her and scratched her flank, causing her to gasp.

"No talking," was his simple statement before he walked to the back of the line again. Sweetpaw did her best to stand up to the pain on her side, but her walking was noticeably slower.

"Do you know how I got here?" she said, starting up the conversation again. Fox nodded.

"They took you in your sleep, and drugged you with poppy seeds. That's why you didn't wake up." Sweetpaw nodded. That made sense, she normally woke at the snap of a twig. The line stopped abruptly, and Sweetpaw took in her surroundings. They were in a large, rocky clearing, littered with caves and outcroppings. The rocks shone in the sunlight, making some hard to look at. She blinked, and something caught her eye. Sweetpaw saw March roll the stone away from the entrance of the prisoner den and watched the other tom throw a scrawny mouse into the den. The cats in the den munched furiously on the mouse, eating every last morsel of food. Night ushered the prisoners out after they ate, and lined them up. Sweetpaw could see that more reed bound their paws as well. Thin, yet sturdy. The net thing she saw is that they were hungry, overworked, and scarred from training. Goose padded up to her and smirked.

"This, young cat, is your future." He said in a taunting tone. Sweetpaw's eyes were wide with fear, and her life of ease seemed to drain away from her now. She was alone. "You will go and stand there, is that clear?" She nodded weakly. Sweetpaw walked to where he motioned, between Fox and a sturdy gray tom. Goose smiled cruelly.

"Now, I will go over the rules," he declared, "First, no talking back. Second, you scum will do what we tell you. Third, you have no rights of your own. Is that clear?" Sweetpaw's rash nature got the better of her.

"You're the scum! You just wait until my father gets here! He'll rip you to bits!" She yowled at the big white cat. Goose narrowed his eyes.

"Well aren't you the rebellious type?" he said. The cat next to her looked at her with pity in her eyes. Sweetpaw then realized the severity of her mistake.

"No, please!" she begged, "I never meant any of it!" Goose motioned to the black tom next to her.

"You know how to handle her Stone." At that moment, Stone sprang at her and slashed across her side. Sweetpaw screeched in pain as the blood welled from her side. He, however, wasn't finished. He jumped once again and performed some kind of trick where he threw her into the air, jumped, and slashed her belly. She fell to the ground moaning, and Goose let out a hoarse laugh.

"Let that be a lesson to you," he said, and turned to walk to his den. Sweetpaw lay in the dirt, and glared at the cat.


	5. Another Question

Okiba sat with her tail curled around her legs in the prisoner den, licking and injured paw. The den was also called The Cave as she lad learned, but the cats inside called it the prisoner den. It was somewhat easier to remember. Fox lay on a small ledge sticking out from the wall, flicking pebbles down and watching them fall. Sweetpaw was renamed Okiba by a black cat named Willow, who was Goose's mate, and Fox was called Foxdung, much to her disgust. Personally, she preferred her old name over this one, but she could deal with it. At least it wasn't as bad as Fox's. Okiba's pelt wasn't well groomed and shiny anymore, it was scarred, bloodstained, and caked in dry mud. She had been introduced to several other cats, and she found that they where friendly for the most part. There was Fester, who was a calico with light gray eyes, and her real name was Light. Then there was Blood; he was a bright red tom with green eyes. He didn't have a real name, as he was captured when he was a kit. There were also Rat and Rot, or Autumn and Spark, who were both golden tabby she-cats, but Autumn was lighter in color. The old silver tom that Fox had tried to help was called Dye, but the rogues called him Die. Last there was Tear, a young gray-blue tom with blue eyes; his real name was Ocean.

"What do you think they're doing with Ocean?" Spark asked Okiba, worry sharp in her voice. Okiba shrugged.

"I wish I knew Spark," Fox said from her ledge. As if on cue, light flooded the den and Ocean was thrown into the den. He landed with a thump, and the light was obliterated once again by the stone over the entrance.

"Ocean!" Spark meowed happily, "What happened? Are you alright?" Ocean gave a curt nod.

"I think so…they had me go hunting again," He paused to lick a cut on his forepaw, "Then when I only brought back a scrawny mouse and a vole, they did this to me." Autumn hissed.

"Who do those wretched excuses for cats think they are?" she yowled at no one in particular, "They have no right to do this to us! All of you just wait, they're going to kill us and feed what's left of us to the Foxes!" Fox flicked an ear at this statement.

"I hope you're not yelling about me over there," she said, forcing a crooked smile onto her face. That was one thing Okiba had learned about Fox, she had a sense of humor that got to be almost annoying even when there was nothing to laugh about.

"It could be worse," said Dye from a corner, "They could kill us now." Autumn snorted.

"I'd rather be dead that be serving theses fox-hearts." The cats in the den were losing interest in the conversation, and returning to grooming themselves or talking quietly. Blood spoke up.

"What we really need is to get out of here!" He said casting his green gaze around the den, "Look at yourselves, this is pathetic."

"We all want to, but how far will we get?" Dye asked.

"We'll get out," Okiba joined in, "But how is another question…"

**I know not much happened in this chapter, but it will get better. I need some time to introduce the cats, and this was the best time to do it. **


	6. Who Didn't Catch Anything?

Okiba, Blood, and Spark where sent out on a hunting party. It would be almost impossible to escape on a hunting party, some of Goose's rogues followed any hunting parties from the trees. Autumn had found that out the hard way, and returned with a shredded ear. In the mean time, the group of cats in the prisoner den, Spark, Ocean, Dye, Autumn, Blood, Light, Fox, and Okiba, had decided to look for anything that could be used to their advantage. Witch was not an easy task. Okiba was thrown from her daydreaming as she heard a twig snap. She breathed in the sent of squirrel, and she drew into her altered hunting crouch. They wound on her hind leg made her wince, but she pounced at the squirrel anyway. The squirrel scampered up a tree before she could catch it, making her land clumsily on her face.

"Mousedung!" she shouted. Blood narrowed his eyes.

"Now look what you've done," he hissed in her ear, "We're not going to catch any prey now, you scared the all off!" Okiba hissed at him.

"I didn't try to land on my face!" she replied to him with bitterness in her voice. Spark sighed.

"Okiba didn't ask to trip," she said to him, "What am I saying? None of us even wanted to be here in the first place, so do us all a favor and get along, will you?" Okiba nodded, and Blood began to climb the tree that the squirrel had climbed. He soon vanished in to the foliage. Okiba shook herself and got up, licking a twisted paw.

"Where should we hunt now?" she asked Spark, "Blood may be a grumpy furball, but he is right. We should move on from this spot." Spark nodded.

"You are probably right, and I smelled water vole down by the river. Let's go."

The three of them came back with a water vole, and a squirrel. Goose hissed at them upon entry.

"What is wrong with you?" he shouted at them, "Three of you, two pieces of prey. How does that work? Who didn't catch anything?" Blood padded forward.

"Me," he said, though his voice was only a whisper. Night launched himself onto the red cat, and pinned him down. Blood battered Night's belly with a barrage of kicks and scratches, making him yowl in pain. Night jumped off him, and ripped Blood's left ear. Beach also joined in the fray, but found herself colliding with a very angry Spark. Spark smashed Beach on the head with unsheathed claws, and Beach bit her on the shoulder. Okiba walked into the shadows, and slammed herself against the stone that blocked the entrance to the prisoner den.

"Come on..!" she hissed to herself, Blood and Spark wouldn't last forever. She could see Night lying limp on the ground a Stone fighting in his place. Blood was badly hurt and Spark was fighting with a rage that only desperation could bring. She pounded the stone with all the energy she had, and Goose took notice of this. He walked over to her, pinned her down, and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"Well-" his sentence was cut off by Blood slamming into him. Blood slashed his back, and Goose delivered a blow to his neck. Okiba, tired and starving, gave one last effort to push the stone. And at last it bugged. Light, Autumn, Ocean, Fox and even Dye burst from the narrow hole to attack surrounding cats in the clearing. Okiba noticed that Willow was fighting off March, and protecting three young kits by her side. Despite the group's best effort, Goose's rogues where winning the fight. Blood lay unmoving on the ground, causing Spark to shriek and toss the she-cat attacking her onto the stones to get to him. Okiba met up with Fox after kicking off a large brown tom.

"How are we doing?" she said to fox over the fray.

"Not good! We need to get-" Fox's voice was cut off as March slammed into her, knocking the breath out of her. She sunk her claws into March's shoulder, and Fox kicked her in the belly. Dye's voice bellowed above the noise.

"Get out! Everyone!" The former prisoners stopped fighting, and retreated into the rocks. Blood was scrabbling up the cliffs with the help of Spark, and Willow was climbing up the cliffs after Autumn. Only one kit was beside her, the others lay dead in the clearing. Okiba went to carry her kit, and saw that Goose and the rogues where following them.

"Climb!"

**This isn't the end, this is just when it gets better.**


	7. The Ices are Coming!

Okiba's feet pounded the dry earth, wounds on her pads opening and leaving a trail of blood. She wasn't the only one. Multiple cats, old and young, where pounding beside her. The cats that fought weren't the only cats that the Ices had captured, as she had found out, many other prisoners were bound in the clearing that she had woken in about a moon ago. Blood bounded beside her.

"We can't run forever Okiba. We have young ones that are tired and cats that are injured," he pointed out. Okiba sighed. He was right. Okiba and Blood came to a halt near a large tree.

"Everyone," Blood said, "We know that the Ices will come after us." This phrase aroused much panic. "I assure you we will be safe. We should hide in the trees."

"But they climb in the trees!" a young gray tom shouted. Blood sighed.

"Yes, but would a group a prisoners normally hide in a tree?" He paused for a moment. "I propose that we go to the river west of here so they will lose our sent, then climb back here through the trees so we aren't seen." Several cats nodded the most of them bickered.

"They'll find us! This was a horrible idea from the start!"

"So? I'd rather be dead than work for that lot."

"My kits are tired, they need to rest now!"

"We're all going to die!"

"We are not going to die!" Autumn's voice yowled from the clearing. "I did not get this far just to be caught again. Stay here if you want, but I'm going to the river! Anyone who wants to can follow me." The cats were silent at Autumn's outburst, though they slowly followed her path into the undergrowth. Blood nodded, and took up the rear of the stream of cats melting into the forest. Okiba walked along beside Fox.

"Do you think we should really rest? She asked, "They still might find our sent." Fox cuffed her around the ear.

"Stop worrying fleabrain!" she said playfully, "We'll be fine!" Okiba smiled slightly.

"I hope you're right," she said to Fox.

The cats had the first moment of peace since they had left the Ices. Mothers licked their kits as they drifted into sleep, and friends talked calmly in the trees. Light from the setting sun filtered through the branches, making the leaves look almost translucent. Most of the cats came up into the network of trees, though a small group of loners that had been captured together continued south. Okiba and Fox sat on a large branch, looking out into the leaves.

"I never thought we'd get this far," Fox said jokingly.

"It wasn't as…organized as I would have liked it," replied Light from a branch above their heads.

"Yea," Okiba agreed, "It was a spur of the moment thing." Fox gave an amused purr.

"If anything, we don't have any choice but to succeed now. We've dragged all these cats into this, and we need to get them out," said Blood, carefully balancing on a branch. Okiba cast her gaze around the group of cats that were all relying on her and her friends.

"The Ices aren't going to give up easily. They'll come back," Light declared. A screech from a panicked kit was right on cue.

"The Ices are coming!"


	8. Too Slow!

As Okiba looked down, she saw the surprising amount of cats thundering towards them. The cats in the trees where starting to panic.

"Shhh!" Spark whispered, "They don't know that we're here. Be quiet, and they won't find us." Reluctantly, they tried to be as quiet as they could manage. Once in a while a kit would meow, but they where calmed by their mothers soon after words. Okiba, Fox, Dye, Spark, Autumn, Dye, and Blood surveyed the clearing below. Several cats, the trackers, where picking up their sent.

"They went this way! To the river!" a cream she-cat exclaimed.

"Wait…" said a gray tom, "I smell cats in the trees! They're trying to give us the slip!"

"Who can run the fastest here?" Light meowed anxiously.

"Me and Okiba most likely. What do you have planned?" said Fox.

"You need to go down to the trackers, and make them mad. Very mad. Then run west of here," She replied, "Is there anyone else who wants to run?"

"Me!" squeaked Willow's remaining kit, "I'm the fastest cat ever!" and before they could do anything, the young kit flung himself of the branch and onto the ground.

"That's our queue!" said Fox, before doing the same. Okiba jumped off the branch and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Hey fleabrains!" Willow's kit was shouting, "You look so fat I bet you can't even run at all!" Okiba joined in happily.

"And you _certainly_ can't catch us!" she shouted at them. The trackers where snarling, and the cream she-cat leaped for Fox. She jumped nimbly out of the way.

"Oh, ouch! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again?" Fox jeered. Both of the trackers and two other cats, witch Okiba recognized as Beach and Stone, raced towards them. Fox, Okiba, and the small blue-gray kit raced away, faster that any of them had ever ran in their lives. Willow's kit gave a laugh.

"We got em' good!" he said happily, "I'm Chippy by the way!" Okiba's Windclan blood was starting to kick in as she out-paced Fox. She still couldn't run any faster than Chippy, who's feet where pounding the ground so fast they looked like a blur. She could still here angry snarls behind her; witch was a signal the cats chasing her wouldn't give us so easily.

"Come back and fight cowards!" Beach yowled.

"Alright!" said Chippy, who stopped running. Okiba looked back in concern, and Beach was approaching fast. Chippy waited until she was a mouse-length from his tail, then kicked her in the nose and began to run again. His happy shout reached Beach's ears.

"To slow!"

**If you read this far, thank you so much. And please review, it would make my day. **

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	9. I am NEVER going to swim again

Fox stared at the multitude of cats swarming the branches, clawing up the tree. Blood had told the elderly cats and the mothers with kits to go west to the river, away from the Ices. Anyone else who could fight stayed. She wheeled around when she heard Dye yowl in pain, and she saw that March had inflicted a fatal wound on his neck.

"If I'm done, you are too!" Dye exclaimed. She simply stared as Dye wrapped his paws around her, and jumped of the branch with the last of his strength. March flailed helplessly against the air, and was able to pry herself form Dye. Dye was already dead though, he had died in shortly after he jumped off the branch. March gave one final shriek; witch was cut off forever by a large stone below her. Fox heard a sickening thump. She simply stared in grief at Dye, who had took one of Goose's best fighters down with him. She was snapped form her sorrow as she felt claws dig into her back. She twisted around and slashed the cat on the shoulder, and he bit her ear. She slashed her claws across his eye, earning a scream of pain. He scampered down the tree and fell in the process, making him lye dazed on the ground before getting up.

"Retreat! Everyone!" Blood yowled. The rest of the cats fighting of her side filtered into the branches, but she was pinned to the spot. A paw covered her mouth and the cat pinning her bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Well, what have we got here?" she recognized Goose's voice.

Okiba's stamina was beginning to fail her. Fox had already turned back to go to the others, and only Stone and a brown she-cat where still giving the chase. Even Chippy was wearing out, his breath coming in labored bouts. His ears perked at a sound she couldn't detect.

"Can…you swim? He asked between gasps.

"Yes…not very well…though," she answered, "why?" Chippy glanced back at Stone and the she-cat with a smug smile.

"I bet they…can't!" he said happily. Okiba nodded. Her joints screamed at her to stop and rest, making her clench her jaw in pain. She finally saw the river, and she also saw Chippy plunge into it. She did her best to follow his example, keeping her head high. The water was pulling her down, making her fur soaking wet and filling her nose when she was pulled underwater.

"This way!" cried Chippy, gesturing to a large stone sticking out of the current. He clambered up onto it, and grabbed her scruff. She was still utterly baffled at how a kit could know all of this, but she didn't really care at this point. The rock was wet and slippery, but at last they both sat on top, licking their fur. She heard paws pounding through the undergrowth.

"Get down!" she whispered to Chippy, who nodded and clung to the far side of the rock. She heard voices.

"Do you see them Anne?" asked Stone.

"No, but their sent leads into the river," replied who Okiba assumed was Annie. She heard a muffled laugh.

"They probably drowned then. Let's go back to the others," said Stone. She heard paw steps retreat back into the undergrowth, and Chippy sighed with relief.

"We should do the same," said Okiba, "Blood and the others might need help." Chippy nodded, and jumped into the water once again. Okiba was more hesitant, but she too jumped into the swirling depths. She shook herself when she got to shore, and made a silent promise to herself.

"I am NEVER going to swim again."

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	10. We've Done What we Need To!

**I'm Back! Sorry for that break, I had SEVERE writer's block. **

Okiba looked through the thick brush at the Ices rounding up the cats they had managed to catch. The running plan had failed, and the Ices had found the rest of them. "But it wasn't a plan to get them all" she reminded herself, "It was to bide time."

"Do you have any ideas now Chippy?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Nope. You?" She shrugged.

"I might have one," she said at last.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"It's crazy."

"So?" Okiba focused on the clearing.

"When I lived in a place called Windclan, I learned that the smell of blood attracts predators, particularly dogs or foxes. There was a battle here, so there's obviously going to be blood. If we can get a large animal into the clearing, we can cause a distraction and get the captured cats out. The only bad thing…" she trailed off, "Is that the animal could attack and even kill the cats on our side." Chippy flicked an ear.

"I don't know if that's going to work," he said slowly, "Buy I'm ready when you are." Okiba grabbed a branch of a nearby fern and shook hard. Chippy followed her example, but stepped on a thorn while approaching the bush. He mewled in pain, and pulled out the thorn.

"I hear them!" a voice said from in the clearing, "There's got to be at least three of them by the sounds of it, wounded too." Okiba stiffened. She heard the cat coming towards her and Chippy. She gulped in fear.

"We're running out of time!" said Chippy anxiously. This idea wouldn't work at all! She heard Fox's voice among the quiet.

"What are we waiting for?" Fox kicked a scarred brown she cat in the chest, and bit down on the reed. It snapped, and she dodged a blow form the she-cat. Other cats did the same, breaking away form their captors and fighting back with a vengeance. Okiba and Chippy flung themselves into the fight as well, adding to the group of fighting cats. She heard a rustle in the undergrowth. Her plan worked, but it didn't bring foxes or even dogs. It brought cats. Blood and about a dozen other cats rushed into the clearing, snarling and slashing at any cat in their way. Okiba ran up behind Fox, and bit the brown she-cat on the forepaw. Fox reared up on her hind legs and brought both paws down on the she-cat's head. She squealed like a kit before running off into the woods.

"And keep that tail between your legs!" shouted Fox triumphantly, before running to help an old silver she cat. Okiba pounced on Stone, clawing both his ears. He hissed, and threw her off. He pinned her down, but Willow rushed forward. She delivered a deathblow to his neck, and he fell limp to the ground. She looked down at Stone's body with rage.

"I hate to fight," she said simply, "But that doesn't mean I can't." she then ran off into the clearing. Okiba stared at Stone, but she soon learned never to hesitate for too long. A small ginger tom bit her on the spine, and she bent back to fling him as far as she could. Her eyes softened when the saw the small tom, he couldn't have been any older than Chippy. She picked him up softly, avoiding his flailing paws.

"I'm the best fighter ever!" he meowed to her proudly, before trying to bite her on the tail. She shook her head, and pulled her tail out of his reach.

"Listen to me," she said to him in a slight whisper, "Cats die here. This battle is no place for young kits." He looked disappointed.

"But…Fistly said I'll be doing good here!" he said.

"I know. But these cats are evil. Get out of here," he seemed about to nod, but was silenced by a pale brown she-cat. Okiba snarled as the cat held the kit in her jaws, which was squirming and kicking out, but was slowly dying.

"Mom!" he said in a quiet voice, "I thought you loved me…" Okiba leaped at the horrible she-cat and raked both claws down her side. Fistly cried out in pain, and released the kit. She ran back into the fray of cats. She picked up the barely conscious kit in her jaws and set him underneath a bramble bush. She licked him on the head before running back into the battle.

Before long Blood's cry echoed through the clearing.

"We've done what we needed to! Get everyone out!"


	11. A Clan it is Then

Okiba kicked the tom she was fighting in the chest before running to the hollow where she had hid the kit. She saw him lying motionless, and Okiba ran over with increased worry. She put her ear to his chest, and he was breathing. She carefully picked him up and met up with Chippy and Fox. Chippy instantly got exited at the sight of the kit in her jaws.

"Where'd you get him?" he asked, his smile fading when he saw the gashes on his back and his belly.

"I can'tsh reay taw wif a kif in my mouf," she replied. She also had to crane her neck to keep the kit from banging against her legs, witch was annoying, and holding the kit himself was tiring. The three of them caught up with the rest of the group, after quite a bit of running. They where resting and licking their wounds, while Blood and a few other able cats kept watch in the trees. Okiba immediately went over to Willow.

"Do you think you can take care of this kit?" she asked the queen. She nodded.

"Yes. I can do that for you," she said, and began licking the small kit. Okiba walked back to Fox and Chippy, who where talking quietly. She lay down with a huff, though it looked like she had fallen over.

"Well," said Fox, "Thanks for that."

"No problem," said Okiba happily, "But where do we go now?" All three cats remained silent. She thought of taking them back to Windclan, but compared to this, her life was boring there. She remembered how she wasn't allowed anywhere near a battle, and how everyone mooned over her. When she thought about it now, she wanted to gag. But…

"Can we start out own group? Like the Ices, but without their violent ways," Chippy said, taking the words right out of her mouth.

"Sound like a good idea to me," said Spark, who padded up beside Chippy, "Is that the plan then?" Chippy nodded. "I'll go tell Blood then," she said, before clambering up the tree that he sat in.

"Good idea Chippy," said Fox, "And Okiba can help us with the details. She lived in a place called Windclan." Chippy got very interested at this.

"What was it like?" he asked her, his eyes shining with excitement. He could act like he was only two moons sometimes.

"Well, we had a leader, who governed most of the clan. Then under him or her was a deputy. They put together the patrols."

"What did they do?" interrupted Chippy.

"They kept our borders safe and brought back the biggest prey in the forest!" she answered happily. Fox closed her eyes and licked her lips.

"Delicious," she said, "What I wouldn't do for a nice plump squirrel."

"And then we had a medicine cat who healed the cats that where sick, with help from her apprentice. My mom taught me a lot of the herbs before I was captured, like poppy seeds for example. They help with stress and make going to sleep easier. Then we have the warriors. They keep the camp safe from attack and hunt prey for us to eat. They bring back enough prey for the whole clan to eat! Some warriors have apprentices, cats who they train to fight and hunt. You have to be at least six moons old to be one though," She explained.

"Aww…" said Chippy.

"Cheer up! You only have a moon left!" exclaimed Fox.

"And when a warrior gets too old to fight and hunt, they become an elder. Dye would be one by now. Speaking of elders, where is Dye?" Okiba asked. Fox was silent.

"I…I saw him push March of a tree branch, but he went with her. They both died," she said at last. Okiba's excitement faded.

"Oh," she said sadly, "He was a brave cat." They where silent for a moment. Chippy spoke up once again.

"What else did you do?" he asked

"Well, the Elders where cared for by the clan because they fought for the clan when they where younger. Then there are the cats that are really young, the kits. They live in the nursery until they reach six moons. They are cared for by their mothers, and can explore the camp as they please. Their mothers are queens, and they return to their warrior duties when their kits get old enough."

"A good plan" said a voice behind her. She turned to see it was Blood. "A clan it is then."

1


	12. We're Heading East

Okiba sat on a thick branch of a tree, swaying in the wind. The clan had moved away from the forest out onto the open moors, and she almost missed the cover of the trees. Most cats had agreed, after a long and painful discussion, that making a clan would befit them all. Some cats went their own ways though. They where still deciding on what to name it, and many cats naturally had their own ways of thinking. Chippy was dead set on Runningclan, and Ocean thought Stormclan was a good choice. Some cats, like Fox, didn't care in the least. Okiba had also realized something when cats where being assigned their ranks. She didn't want to fight anymore. And judging from recent events, she wasn't all that good at it ether. Sure she was fast, but when she was pinned she was hopeless. She had offered to take on a role as a healer. They had used the term medicine cat for a while, but healer had stuck.

"Okiba, do you see anything up there?" said Spark from below. She scanned the horizon one more time before replying.

"No, it's all plains for as far as I can- wait…" she strained her eyes to look at the thin line of green on the horizon. "I can see a forest!" she exclaimed, "Although it's far away, we should be able to get there soon!"

"And I see what looks like mountains to the south, and there's a lush forest on the other side!" called Autumn from the other side of the tree.

"I'll go tell Blood!" Spark yelled, before running over to the group of cats. Okiba hesitated before beginning to climb down, the ground looked so far away. She shook her head and tried to remember Fox's advice. "Don't look down, keep your eyes on the branch you want to get to," she had said. She slowly made her way down the branches of the dead tree, sticking close to the trunk. Going down was harder than going up. A massive gust of wind made her lose her footing, causing her to fall down a few branches before she caught another. The rest of the climb was easy. She padded over to the clan, and picked up a scrawny mouse from the makeshift freshkill pile, and sat down beside Willow, Chippy, Light, Fox, and Solar. Solar was the young kit she had rescued from the battle, and he was a very stubborn one at that. When Okiba told him her name, he pronounced it "Oki". From there, he said he liked it better, and that he would call her that. It was annoying, but quite a few cats in the clan loved him.

"Hello Okiba! I was beginning to think you fell and broke your neck!" said Chippy happily.

"Ha ha, very funny," she replied, before munching on her mouse.

"If you ask me, she did a good job. I'd like to see you do better," said Light, before rolling onto her back to soak up the sun.

"Would everyone please gather under this tree?" Spark's voice echoed around the clearing.

"Don't tell me, you found something didn't you?" said Willow. Okiba smiled.

"Wait and see," she said. Blood hopped onto a low branch.

"We have reported a forest east of here, but we have also found a range of mountains to the south. These mountains have a lush forest on the other side, much bigger that the one to the east. I would like to take a vote on where to go," he jumped down and drew a line in the dirt. "All cats wanting to go to the mountains, sit on the left side of the line. Cats who want to go to the forest, sit on the right side." He said, and scanned the cats as they made their choice. The cats who went to the left side where mostly younger cats, while the older cats and queens favored the right side, even if their kits didn't. Okiba hesitated, then went over to the right side. Blood counted heads once all the cats had stilled.

"That's it. We're going east," he announced, "We should wait for a little while until everyone is ready to go, then we can depart." The clan spread apart, gathering families and eating the rest of the prey in the freshkill pile. A thistle caught Okiba's eye, and she walked over to the sturdy little plant.

"Burdock!" she exclaimed in surprise. Fox walked over and sat down beside her.

"Bur-what?" she asked eyeing the thistle.

"Burdock," replied Okiba, "It's roots heal infection, and it's leaves speed up healing."

"Oh," she said simply.

"Can you help me carry it?"

"Sure." Fox and Okiba dug up some of the roots, and grabbed some leaves.

"Dese taste phunny…" she said through a mouthful of Burdock leaves. Okiba chuckled at this, and motioned to the group.

"We should be leaving soon, and we don't want to be left behind. Let's go!" she said happily.

"Eshy or chu to shay…" muttered Fox.


	13. The Underground Forest

The clan walked along across the plain for what seemed like, and perhaps was, hours. Blood walked in the front of the group, along with Spark, Autumn, and Ocean. Fox, Willow, Solar, and Light walked behind them, with Chippy, Fox, a she-cat named Aspen, and herself taking up the rear. The grass was rough and pointy, painfully scratching her already sore paws.

"Mousedung!" shouted Aspen, licking a punctured paw pad. She pulled a long thorn from her paw and staggered up on her feet again.

"Here," said Okiba, "This will make it feel better." She applied some of the marigold she had found before she left the forest, and wrapped an old cobweb around the wound.

"Hey!" hissed Aspen, "That hurt!" Her cream-colored fur stuck up, and she pounced on Okiba. Fox and Chippy grabbed her and pried her from the surprised healer and pinned her down.

"What was that for? She was only trying to help!" shouted Chippy, attracting the attention of a few other cats.

"It stung!" hissed Aspen, clawing at the ground.

"Does it sting anymore?" retorted Fox angrily. The hissing, spitting she-cat calmed down somewhat.

"Well…not really," she said, heaving herself out from under the two cats. A gray tom in front of her gave her a questioning glance, and began to walk again. Okiba picked the herbs up in her mouth before rushing to join them. The herbs had rapidly depleted from the massive amount of sore pads, and the fact that she didn't have time to get many in the first place. Several wounds from the Ices had gotten infected as well, which wasn't helping either. One of the cats in the worst shape was Spark, barely managing to keep up with Blood. Something distracted her from her thoughts; she saw blurred shapes running across the moor. She turned all the way and scanned the hillside, but they had either never existed, or they had left faster than she could turn. "This sun is making me dizzy…" she thought to herself. She felt a change in temperature. She sighed in relief as clouds blocked the sun, sheltering the cats below from the blistering heat.

"We have traveled about halfway to the forest, and we should all rest," Blood called over the crowd, "Besides, it looks like it's about to rain." A drop of water on her nose proved his point. As more water drops rained down from the sky many cats where clustered around something she couldn't see. As she got closer, she realized it was a rabbit warren. Each cat moved in single file, entering the network of caves. She saw Chippy vanish into the darkness, then Fox, then Aspen. And finally she did too. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her eyes opened wide. It looked like a large society of cats, living in a huge cavern underneath the ground. She could see dens, ledges, and even a freshkill pile hidden in a large circle of stones that reached to the ceiling of the cave. She could see Blood talking to a silver tom, and tried to go over to him. A small cream-colored kit bouncing around her feet blocked her.

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Will you go back there? Is it awesome? Can I come with?" the she-kit asked, practically shivering in excitement. A pretty ginger queen came over to her.

"I apologize for my daughter, she can be…" she trailed off, "Somewhat hyper at some times." The little kit ignored her mother, and proceeded to bombard Okiba with questions.

"What was it like? Where there evil cats? Where there lots? I bet I fight off every single one of them with my face…" She began mumbling to herself, tackling shadows that looked like intruders to her territory. The queen gave a laugh.

"She's such a natural born leader. She's next in line, too," she said. Okiba was clueless what she meant.

"Next in line? For what?" she asked, and only after she asked did she get the answer.

"She's next in line to become leader. Oh! I'm sorry for my horrible manners, I am Leaf and this is La-" she was cut off by a tackle from the young kit.

"I'm Labyrinth the awesome!" she shouted proudly. When Okiba looked closer at the kit, she had thin brown stripes crossing her creamy pelt, each one twisting and turning in different directions. Which made her name fit her. She also had a white stripe going from her head to her tail, making her tail pure white. "I'm gonna be the best leader the Underground Forest has ever had!" she mewed, needing her mother's side in excitement.

"The Underground what?" Okiba asked, one again clueless.

"Oh, I forgot to welcome you here. Welcome to the Underground Forest!"

**The Underground Forest is something that will be used in one of my later fanfics. (Hopefully) I added that in there because it had seemed like a good idea. **


	14. Even to the End of the World

"And, and there's the Glass citadel!" shouted Labyrinth, flicking her tail in the direction of the third and final large cavern in the wall. Okiba had, reluctantly, agreed to let the young kit take her on a tour of the Underground Forest. She had learned that the cats in the cavern lived very orderly lives. Each cat was either a hunter or a defender, not counting healers and leaders, and they lived in citadels. There where three of those, and they where split up into hubs. Hubs where split up into three complex hubs. And Complex hubs could have twelve or more families living in them. The leaders of citadels where called leaders, the leaders of hubs where called either ladies or lords, and leaders of Complex hubs where called nobles. Then there where leaders, whose leadership was passed down to whichever cat in they're bloodline was the youngest when they died. Kits, called tinys, were cared for by healers, who where all female, and had no right to vote with the rest of the group. There was still a lot more that she hadn't heard, but she was still surprised at how much she did hear. Labyrinth had a habit of repeating the first word of a sentence when she was reciting information. "Look!" Labyrinth said suddenly, "The leaders are gathering!" An old silver she-cat that looked as old as time gathered with a young, ginger she-cat and a blue-gray tom. Blood also sat to the left of the elderly she-cat, with Spark next to him.

"We are happy to welcome this group of cats into our care, as they have traveled long and hard," her voice rasped, "Please show them much respect." After the words left her mouth, Labyrinth instantly bowed her head to her.

"What are you doing?" Okiba asked.

"You need to put your paw on my head," she replied. Okiba still didn't get why, but she figured it was a way of showing respect. She did as she was told. When Labyrinth sat up again, she turned back to the silver leader.

"They may stay here for as long as they wish. We will let them rest and eat." With that, Blood stepped forward.

"I thank you for your hospitality, but after my cats get our bearings we must leave. We are being chased by a group of rogues called the Ices, and they will find us at any cost. They are our battle to fight, not yours," he said to the silver leader. She nodded, and gave a small smile.

"No matter how much I think you should stay here for a few moons, I can do nothing to stop young cats from travelling. May Starclan go with you," she said. A few of the clan cats extanjed looks in surprise but said nothing. "Eat your fill while you are here so that you make it to wherever you're going." There where a large number of cats in the cavern, bearing all different kinds of patterns and personalities. They seemed to be older than the clans themselves, and a few of the cats here, specifically the silver leader, seemed to be older than any cats she knew back in Windclan.

"The pretty one's my great-something-grandmother!" Labyrinth exclaimed happily, "Isn't she pretty?" Okiba nodded. She was very old, but her pelt was still sleek and silver, and her paws where a glowing white. Labyrinth's face suddenly became sad. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked, her tail drooping.

"No, I don't think so," Okiba said, actually feeling a pang of regret, "But be a good leader for me." Labyrinth nodded, her eyes blazing with determination.

"I'll be the best leader anyone's ever seen! Better then all the leaders put together!" she promised her fur in spikes. Leaf came and carried her back to the Glass citadel. "I promise Okiba, I'll see you someday! Even if I need to go to the end of the world!" she shouted before vanishing into the cave.

"Alright," Blood announced, "We need to get on the move. We don't want the Ices to find this place." The clan cats began to exit the cave, walking through the tight caves back into the open. The sun was once again shining brightly, and the grass sparkled with dew. Fox and Chippy wound through the crowd to her, and Fox put her tail on her shoulder.

"Don't feel so down, perhaps you will see her again," she said reassuringly. Okiba nodded, and gave a cheerful laugh.

"Yea, she looks like she'll travel to the very end of the world to find us!" Chippy tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Counting how far we've already gone, we might just go to the end of the world," he said, giving a nervous smile.

"Yep," said Fox looking longingly at the forest.

"Even to the end of the world."

**That was short, But I want to get this done so I can start my next fan fiction. **


End file.
